Hazy Dreams
by carissima
Summary: A possible path from DTMFG. Lucas may have realised he wants Brooke, but are there too many obstacles in the way?
1. Eyes Wide

Lucas dragged his eyes away from the sight of Brooke and Felix kissing, and instead focused his attention on the differences in Brooke's room since he'd last been in there. Gone was Brooke's furniture, apart from the bare essentials, and even her bed was smaller, less, well, less fluffy. Gone were the mess of clothes that had once adorned Brooke's bed, floor, dresser, and anywhere else she'd flung them. Gone was her stereo, and all the music that had once haphazardly framed it. The doll house that Mouth had told him about earlier sat in the middle of the floor, the dolls arranged messily across the floor, as if Brooke had been playing with it recently. Lucas' lips lifted in a slight smile as he pictured her there, the cool, popular cheerleader having fun with a child's toy. He imagined her smiling and laughing, yet the image slowly faded to Brooke crying as she sat in front of the dolls house, the only reminder of her childhood that hadn't been sold to pay for her parents' debts, another part of Brooke's life that he'd been unaware of until Mouth let slip earlier on.

There was so much about Brooke that had changed, that she was trying to cope with, and he hadn't been there to help her. He'd been lost in his own little world, flirting with Anna, building a relationship with Nate, trying to become the person he used to be, the person that cared about people and the person that people cared about, yet realising all the problems that Brooke was facing without his knowledge had made him see that he was still the selfish and reckless person he used to be. It was time to really make that change, time to really be there for the people he cared about. Time to really listen to those he cared about and help them, regardless of whether they wanted his help anymore.

He silently walked back a few steps and began whistling, walking heavily and tapping his hand against his thigh, wanting to make sure Brooke and Felix heard him and broke away from each other. A quick glance before knocking against her open door revealed they'd broken the kiss and were sitting chastely on the bed, looking at him expectantly. Well, Brooke was looking at him expectantly, a welcoming smile lighting up her beautiful face, while a scowl was slowly forming on Felix's definitely unwelcoming expression.

Lucas gave Brooke a bemused look, which she brazenly ignored, pretending that she hadn't just been kissing Felix, or that he was even in her room, after her last conversation with Lucas, when she'd sworn revenge against her neighbour.

"Hey gorgeous, what brings you to my bedroom?" Brooke asked, a flirty smile on her face as she winked at him.

Lucas decided to follow Brooke's lead in pretending that Felix wasn't sitting on her bed, despite his misgivings. "There's been a few changes since I was last here," Lucas smiled ruefully, before giving Brooke a concerned look.

"Haven't you heard that minimalism is the new fashion?" Brooke laughed.

"I can't see you as a minimalist, Brooke, apart from when it comes to the amount of clothes you wear," Lucas grinned, paying no attention to Felix bristling on the bed.

"So, Lucas, did you want something?" Felix asked, anger deepening his voice as he forcefully dragged Brooke closer to him and put his arm around her.

Lucas frowned, noticing that Brooke didn't look very impressed with Felix's behaviour either.

"Actually, I've just come from seeing Anna, and I thought I'd come and see if Peyton was here. I need to speak to her about something real important."


	2. Waking

Felix tried to curb his anger at Lucas' casual mention of Anna, before coming to ask his ex-girlfriend where the girl was that he'd cheated on his ex with. Only one thing stopped him from pounding Lucas into the ground …

Brooke jumped off the bed and went to her wardrobe, almost throwing her whole body into the bulging chaos of clothes. Composing herself, she pretended to flick through her various outfits, trying to ignore the ache that Lucas' words had evoked. It had taken months for her to finally be able to talk to Lucas without venom tracing her words, or bitterness filling her mouth, and she had thought that talking and laughing with him the last few days had meant her heart had mended. She was having fun being Lucas' friend, she was beginning to see the guy she first fell for again, rather than seeing him as a cheating bastard, and she'd thought she was ready to move on, to open up to someone else. Yet hearing him ask for Peyton brought all the pain back to her, and she was struggling to bury it deep inside.

Taking a deep breath, Brooke thrust a hand in and brought out some jeans and a top. "She was here earlier, but she left. I tried to make her stay but she thought she was in the way, with Felix being here."

"I tried to talk to her earlier but she pretty much threw me out of her bedroom," Lucas admitted.

Brooke tried to hide the grin that had crept across her face. Even if Lucas did still want Peyton, Brooke knew her friend well enough to know that Peyton wouldn't risk breaking Brooke's heart again. Brooke also knew that her best friend wasn't in any kind of place right now to deal with love and guys. She had enough on her plate with brainless morons at school, idiots brandishing drugs, and Brooke knew she wasn't going to get over losing Jake and Jenny any time soon.

The smile faded as Brooke realised that it still hurt, the thought that Lucas still wanted Peyton. It hurt, but Brooke was generous enough, and honest enough, to admit that she couldn't really blame Luke for wanting Peyton. She was gorgeous, fun, sensitive, brooding, caring … all the things Lucas was, and probably wanted in a girl. She could see now that she and Lucas didn't make any sense. They didn't have anything in common, she always jumped into things with both feet first, not thinking about what might happen or who she might offend, she wasn't interested in meaningful music, she'd rather wiggle around to something fun and infectious. She didn't pay much attention in school, unless it involved gossip or cheerleading. She and Lucas were total opposites, and there was no use in pretending that they could ever have worked, with or without Peyton.

"It's not you, Luke. She's been having a really tough time recently, with … stuff." Brooke carefully kept her eyes down, avoiding both Lucas and Felix's look. Anna was creating problems for Brooke that she didn't feel like sharing with either her brother or her boyfriend. Anna was only one in a line of problems that had built around Peyton, and threatened to bring her crashing down. Suddenly, Brooke squared her shoulders and put on her stubborn face. Regardless of how much it hurt, she was going to do everything she could to help Lucas find Peyton. She loved them both, and they were perfect for each other. She wouldn't fight to keep them apart any longer.

"Give me a second to get dressed and I'll help you look for her," Brooke smiled at Lucas.

Felix stood up. "I'll see you later Brooke."

Brooke looked up at Felix in surprise. "Aren't you coming?" she questioned, a frown marring her brow.

"I'm going to check on Anna, make sure she's alright." Felix shot a dark look at Lucas, who merely kept his gaze steady. Felix's lips tightened before he turned to kiss Brooke briefly before stalking out of the door.

Brooke stared after him, slightly annoyed, before plastering a fake bright smile on her face. "I guess it's just you and me then, broody boy." Brooke winked at Lucas to soften her words.

She turned and walked into the ensuite, returning in less than a minute, much to Lucas' surprise. Brooke took in his exaggerated shock and stuck her tongue out at him.

He laughed, before extending his hand to her. Brooke stared at it, uncertain of what he was doing, and what it would mean if she took his hand. Then, deciding that she didn't care, they were only friends, she gently put her hand in his. Feeling his fingers close around hers, feeling his warmth seep into her cold hand, Brooke momentarily let herself remember what it had been like, being with Lucas, holding his hand, kissing his lips, being happy together. Involuntarily, she glanced up at Lucas, who was watching her with guarded eyes. Embarrassed at being caught, Brooke swept up her purse and pulled Lucas towards the door.

"Come on slowcoach, lets go find her."

Lucas followed her, a smile playing on his lips.


	3. Unexpected

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews! ) This chapter is a little different, and it's a bit longer too. I hope you like!**

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Brooke let her hand go limp, giving Lucas the opportunity to let her go, but he held on, seemingly unaware that there was any problem with them holding hands, despite their rollercoaster history.Shrugging, Brooke realised that Lucas was probably as worried about Peyton as she was, and just needed some support.

"She'll be okay," Brooke said softly.

"I know. It's just, she always seems to be in trouble. I know she always manages to find her way out, but …" Lucas stopped, glancing at Brooke.

"But you're worried that one day she'll get herself in too deep, and she won't be able to save herself," Brooke finished for him.

Lucas stared at Brooke with a questioning look.

Brooke laughed, softly and sadly. "Trust me Lucas, whatever you're thinking, or whatever worries you've had about Peyton, I've had them a million times before. Some nights those thoughts keep me for hours. I get myself so worked up that I'll phone her at 3am to check on her and she'll laugh at me for being so silly. Then I know she's going to be okay."

Lucas smiled. It always surprised him whenever Brooke showed her caring side. She tried so hard to pretend to be tough and self-sufficient that he sometimes forgot how much she cared about her friends. Especially Peyton. If she had to, Brooke would walk through fire for her best friend, something Lucas admired. He'd do the same for Haley, and she for him. Lucas was eternally grateful that he had Haley, and he knew Brooke felt the same about Peyton.

Brooke's grip on his hand tightened suddenly, and painfully. He managed to stop himself from yelping in pain, and thus avoiding humiliation, but it was a close call. He turned towards Brooke and was just about to make a teasing comment when he saw her mouth drawn tight, her eyes focused on the ground and he found himself having to widen his stride to keep up with her quickened pace.

"Brooke?" Lucas questioned.

"Felix is spying on us," Brooke muttered.

Lucas glanced back towards Felix's house and saw Felix with his arms around Anna and a fuming expression on his face. Great, he thought. Anna was probably telling her brother everything he'd told her just a few minutes ago. He'd deal with Felix later though. He resisted the urge to put his arm around Brooke to shield her, and contented himself with squeezing her hand reassuringly and following her pace until they rounded the corner and were free of Felix's angry stare. Brooke heaved a sigh of relief, before turned to give Lucas an apologetic smile.

"I don't think Felix likes me talking to you," Brooke said.

"What's with you and Felix? Last time I saw you, you said you'd given up on the friends-with-benefits idea, and you were totally anti-Felix. I'm pretty sure I interrupted something earlier, too." Lucas tried to ask casually, trying to keep as cool and friendly as he could.

"We talked. He told me some stuff. He's not all he seems, Lucas. He's been hurt, he's not as arrogant or mean as he looks. He's got a history, Luke, just like everyone else," Brooke trailed off, unable to continue.

"So you two, you're together?" Lucas asked, deliberately keeping his expression blank and his tone light.

"Yeah," Brooke said, deliberately not looking at Lucas and trying to keep her voice even.

Minutes stretched between them. The past, and now the present, had reared up between them and neither knew how to get past either obstacle.

"So," Lucas broke the silence, "Where do you think Peyton might be?"

Brooke started, having momentarily forgotten what they were doing, walking around at night whilst holding hands. "I guess if she's not at home, she might be at Tric, or with Haley, or …" Brooke didn't want to finish the sentence. She hoped against hope that the drug-taking was just a one-off, but Lucas was right. Peyton was acting a little strange, even for her. And maybe this time, she had fallen in too deep, with one thing after another crashing down on her. Brooke quickened her pace.

"She's not with Haley. Nate was making her a romantic meal. I tried to get an invitation, but he threw me out. Here I was, thinking we were making progress, and he goes and throws me out of his apartment!" Lucas joked, trying to lighten Brooke's mood.

She smiled weakly. "Serves you right for trying to get a free meal. Besides, Peyton told me that Nathan can only cook beans on toast, so you're probably not missing much."

Lucas frowned. "What's wrong, Brooke? Was there somewhere else Peyton might be?"

Brooke looked at Lucas, trying to decide whether to trust him or not with Peyton's problems. The struggle within her to make herself trust Lucas again was fierce, yet something told her that Lucas wasn't going to betray her again, so long as she protected her heart this time. Since she knew how Lucas felt about Peyton, she figured that her heart wouldn't be at any risk with Lucas, ever again. She doubted Peyton would want Lucas to know, yet Brooke found herself telling him anyway. She told him about how upset Peyton was about Jake leaving, trying to soften the blow for Lucas, making more of how much Peyton missed Jenny than Jake. She told him about Anna, trying to be sympathetic for Lucas' sake, since she was still his girlfriend, despite how she'd acted with Peyton. Then, finally, she told him what Haley had let slip, about Peyton taking drugs. Brooke finished, hoping against hope that Lucas wouldn't judge Peyton for her mistakes, but Lucas remained silent.

Lucas was silently berating himself. Peyton wasn't kidding when she said they weren't friends anymore. He'd had no idea about any of the things that had been going on in her life, and he probably still wouldn't if some idiot hadn't sprayed 'dyke' across her locker for everyone, including himself, to see. Lucas swore that tonight was the start of the old Lucas. The one who cared, the one who saw what others were too blind to see, the one who understood. He had a lot of things to repent for, but trying to find Peyton was a start. And he and Brooke had made a lot of progress over the last few weeks. She might not trust him yet, but she would. Earning Brooke's trust was at the very top of his list of things to do, and he was damn sure he'd succeed. He just had to take one day at a time.

They'd checked every place they could think of, not really talking, as both were too worried about Peyton to worry about their own issues. Finally, they decided to try her house one last time, before admitting defeat. As they walked down Peyton's street, Brooke saw the light on in her room. Squealing, releasing some of the tension that had followed her around all night, Brooke left Lucas behind as she ran to the house and ran up the stairs. The door to her bedroom was shut, but Brooke yanked it open and started yelling, half angry and half relieved.

"Peyton Sawyer!" Brooke yelled, more incensed by Peyton trying not to laugh at Brooke's anger. "Don't you ever leave my or your house again without telling me exactly where you're going and who you're going to be with …" Brooke trailed off as she realised that Peyton wasn't alone.

"Jake …" Brooke whispered, slightly in shock.

"Hey Brooke. How's it going?" Jake asked, lifting his lips in a welcoming smile.

Brooke smiled nervously. Lucas was coming up the stairs, and he'd see Jake, in Peyton's room … he was going to be crushed. Brooke tried to think of some way to prevent him seeing them, but her brain had turned to mush.

"Brooke, you gonna move or are you planning to block the doorway all night?" Lucas asked, bemused.

Brooke stepped inside Peyton's room, shutting her eyes at the pending disaster.

"Jake!" Lucas said in surprise. Brooke peeked one eye open, unable to bear the suspense, only to find Lucas and Jake hugging, with big smiles on everyone's faces.

Puzzled, she listened as Lucas questioned Jake about how he was, how Jenny was, why he was back, and how long he was staying for. She managed to figure out that both he and Jenny were great, Jake was back to visit his parents and some friends, with a little glance at Peyton, who seemed to blush, and he wasn't sure how long he was in town for.

Brooke could see Lucas didn't want to stay long, so she waiting long enough to make sure Peyton was okay, which was an understatement, because she was clearly ecstatic to have Jake back, then she asked Lucas to walk her home, since it was way past her bed time.

Lucas agreed that it was getting late, and made a lame joke about Brooke needing her beauty sleep, which Brooke didn't find funny at all, yet which made Peyton and Jake chuckle. What did they know, anyway?! Brooke tried to stomp out of the house, but Lucas caught up with her, grabbing her hand and holding onto it, as he'd done all night, leaving Brooke confused. They'd found Peyton, she was home and safe, so Lucas couldn't still want comfort, or support, so why exactly was he holding her hand?


	4. Broken Promises

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I love them, and I love you all! Here's a mostly Felix/Brooke scene, with some Brucas sprinkled in ... just because I can't help myself! Hope you all enjoy reading it!**

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"Thanks for walking me home, Lucas," Brooke paused at her bedroom door and turned to face him.

"No problem," he said before pausing. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Brooke smiled gently. "It's past midnight; I'll see you in a few hours."

Lucas grinned. "I'd better go then; I'd hate to cut into your beauty sleep."

Brooke laughed as she swatted his arm. They stood there, grinning at each other, time stretching out between them. Their smiles faded as they stared into each others eyes, both feeling the attraction pulling them in, both letting the moment cast a spell over them. They forgot all the bad times that they'd shared, they forgot the bitterness that Brooke had harboured for so long, they forgot the regret that Lucas still carried around, weighing down on his shoulders, and they just remembered what had brought them together in the first place. The pure physical magnetism that tempted their souls reared up between them. Neither Brooke nor Lucas would have liked to guess at what might have happened between them if they hadn't heard footsteps walking towards Brooke's room.

Brooke's eyes grew wide as she realised what had just occurred between her and Lucas, and she realised that the footsteps could only belong to Felix. She grabbed Lucas and dragged him inside her room, quickly and silently shutting the door. She glanced around the room before opening her wardrobe, yanking out a load of clothes and throwing them under her bed, just as someone knocked on her door. She pushed a bemused Lucas into her wardrobe, sparing no time to care about what Lucas made of the situation. She just whispered 'shh!' before shutting the door, quickly undressing and changing into her pyjamas before crossing over and opening the door, feigning a just-woken-up-and-slightly-disgruntled look. As she'd suspected, it was Felix. And he didn't look very happy.

"Felix?" Brooke covered a fake yawn.

"Did Lucas tell you about what he was doing before he barged into your room earlier?" Felix half-growled.

Inside the wardrobe, Lucas was silently groaning. He'd been trying to forget about how he'd hurt Anna earlier, but he'd known it was better to tell her the truth, as soon as he'd realised how he really felt. He'd deliberately not mentioned it to Brooke, afraid as he was that she'd see through him and cut him out of her life. He knew that Brooke was still damaged by his own actions, and he knew it would take him a long time to earn her trust again, if he ever could earn it again. The long, hard road to forgiveness was something he was willing to walk along, for her. Anything, for her. Anything, except risk losing her forever.

Depending on how much Anna had shared with Felix, there was a good chance that he might have already lost Brooke, without even a chance to let her know how he felt, how he _really_ felt about her. And to be honest, Lucas wasn't sure he was strong enough to bear that pain for the second time.

Brooke's reply of 'What?" held a trace of curiosity, annoyance, sadness and a legitimate trace of tiredness. Lucas longed to rush out of the wardrobe and put her to bed, wrapped in his arms, but that was the last thing he could do, so he remained in the darkness, waiting for Felix to drop the hammer on his friendship with Brooke.

"He casually broke up with her, before rushing over here, to ask you about Peyton, seconds later," Felix slammed his hand against the wall, venting his anger.

Lucas held his breath. Had Anna told him? And if she had, Felix seemed to think Peyton was the object of his desire, something that would have amused Lucas if he wasn't so tense about Felix's presence.

He watched Brooke's head lower. Seconds ticked by before she spoke. "Felix, if Lucas still has feelings for Peyton, wouldn't you rather he told her now, before acting on his feelings with Peyton?"

Brooke's sad words cut like a knife through Lucas's heart and soul. He'd been dreaming about Peyton for so long, that when she finally admitted her feelings for him, he'd acted upon them without a thought of the consequences. He'd thought that he'd wanted her for so long, that when she came to him, when she'd needed him, he'd thrown everything he had, everything that had become so important to him away, regardless of who he'd hurt. He'd thought that what he and Peyton had had was worth all the pain and suffering they'd caused, but it hadn't. His betrayal had changed Brooke, he'd made her stop trusting people, he'd made her sadder, and he'd made her cynical. But he'd make it up to Brooke, he'd make her trust him again, he'd make her smile every time they were together, he'd make her laugh and flirt outrageously. One day.

Felix scoffed. "Brooke, you're Peyton's best friend and that didn't stop Lucas from cheating on you with her. Do you really believe Lucas hasn't already moved onto Peyton, hasn't already been playing around behind Anna's back?"

Brooke's head snapped up and she stared at Felix.

Lucas held his breath. Felix, in his oblivious anger, had asked Brooke a question that Lucas needed to know the answer to, so he could either cling to a small slither of hope, or just face the reality that Brooke may not ever have faith in him again.

"Felix, you don't really know Lucas. You've heard rumours of what happened between the three of us, but you don't know any of us. Lucas and Peyton made a mistake. Neither of them would dream of repeating it, ever again. Lucas didn't cheat on Anna. He's changed from the person he used to be. Trust me, I know him, and I know Peyton. Nothing's happened between them."

Lucas felt a little giddy. Whether it was because of Brooke's admission of trust in him, or because of the claustrophobic confines of her wardrobe, he wasn't completely sure, but he knew which he'd bet on. Until …

"Yet." Brooke finished her speech.

"Brooke, I know people like Lucas. They don't stop cheating. It's like a drug, they need the thrill and danger of it. When I see him, he's gonna regret hurting my sister."

"Oh yeah? Did you know Nathan used to date Peyton?" Brooke challenged Felix. Felix frowned, shaking his head. "Well, they did. They dated for over a year. He used to cheat on her all the time. Do you think he hasn't changed? Do you think he'd ever cheat on Haley?"

Felix quickly swallowed his shock. "It's possible."

Brooke scoffed. "Come on. There's no chance in hell that anything would ever come between them. They're too strong for anything to shake their relationship. They care too much for each other."

"Brooke, stop pretending that you're a romantic. I know you, you're just like me. We're realists, we know how easily people make mistakes. You've been hurt, I've been hurt, we've lived through it. Don't pretend that fairytales really do come true." Felix laughed bitterly.

Brooke snapped. "What was all that crap you told me earlier about guarding my heart with your life? Were you just lying to get me to trust you?"

"There's no guarantees in life, Brooke. I can promise you that I won't cheat on you, that I'll never hurt you, but do you really believe that? Someone always gets hurt. I can honestly say that right now, you're the only girl I want. I can honestly say that I don't want to ever hurt you. But that doesn't mean that I won't hurt you. Just like you can't honestly say you won't hurt me. Life doesn't work like that." Felix snapped back.

"You can't promise me that you won't hurt me?" Brooke asked, her eyes wide with pain, rationality flying out of the window.

"Of course I can't!" Felix yelled, his anger getting the better of him.

"Please, get out. I don't want to see you again," Brooke whispered, her hurting heart throbbing with the pain of yet another guy lying to her. "The fairytale isn't impossible. Haley has it, and I want it too. I deserve it. You lied to me, you promised to guard my heart, but you can't. So get out."

Felix stared at her, confusion clouding his face. "Brooke, c'mon. I wasn't lying to you."

"Please Felix, just go," Brooke turned away from him, praying that he'd leave, so that she could just cry out her pain in private.

Minutes passed before she heard the door shut. Brooke fell onto her bed, sobs racking her body. He'd promised, yet he hadn't really meant it. Why was her life so unfair? All she wanted was a decent guy to care about her, yet all the decent guys she met turned out to be cheats and liars. She didn't care that Felix was being logical. She didn't care that Felix was probably right. Tonight had been a wake-up call. She'd realised that she wasn't over Lucas yet. She'd realised that she wasn't ready to trust another guy again. The way she'd flown off the handle at Felix only proved that. She'd speak to him in the morning and explain herself, explain why she couldn't be with him, but despite knowing all this, she couldn't stop the tears flowing down her cheeks. She was sobbing so hard that she didn't hear the wardrobe door creak open. She didn't hear footsteps make their way to her bed. She didn't even feel someone sit down next to her. She'd forgotten all about Lucas, so when he reached down and scooped her up, pulling her onto his lap, she almost screamed. Then she gave in, hugging him tight, forgetting that he was the origin of her distrust, forgetting everything except the comfort she found in his embrace.


	5. Bonding

**Thanks for the lovely reviews everyone! Keep them coming ;-) Here's a bit of Peyton/Brooke sweetness, no Lucas I'm afraid, but his presence will return in the next chapter, and Nathan and Haley will be appearing sometime soon!**

**ICTOANL: As far as Brooke knows, NH do have a perfect marriage, since she doesn't really know about Chris, only about the little white lie she once told him. Felix promised Brooke something that he couldn't keep, Brooke's feeling irrational and hurt and in the first chapter she realised she was still hurt over L/P, so she was going to end it anyway. Felix will return, since I kinda like him, but not as a love-interest for Brooke, I'm afraid :-)**

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Brooke had never knocked on Peyton's door before, and she wasn't about to start today. She threw open the door, a little disappointed to find Peyton alone in her bed, gently snoring, probably dreaming about Jake and the practically perfect life that they'd have. Brooke giggled. Actually, that was more like her own dreams. Peyton's dreams were probably darker, imagining the darker side of the moon rather than the lighter. Although, as Brooke crouched down so she was inches in front of Peyton's face, and peered closer, she had to admit that her friend was obviously having a happy dream, judging by the slight smile on her face.

Peyton opened her eyes and screamed when she saw Brooke. Brooke screamed in response to Peyton's scream, before jumping up and down.

"Peyton Sawyer! Don't scare me like that!" Brooke yelled.

"Me scare you?! Are you crazy? You're the one who crept into my room and decided to stare at me while I was sleeping!" Peyton yelled back.

"Hey girl, calm down. I was just trying to see if there really was a smile on your beautiful face," Brooke grinned.

"Hey! I smile!" Peyton growled.

Brooke raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"So? Was I?" Peyton gave in and laughed.

"Considering Jake's back, and I found you all snuggled up together in your room last night, I'd say the answer was pretty obvious," Brooke said slyly.

"We were _not_ snuggled up in my room. We were just talking." Peyton threw the covers off her bed and sat up, yawning and stretching as she squinted at the sun shining through her window. She padded over to her wardrobe and selected a pair of jeans and a concert tee. "I'm going to shower, try not to cause too much mischief in the next ten minutes."

Brooke tried to look hurt. "I don't cause mischief! But make sure you look extra hot today, seeing as Jake's back and you don't want him to think you let yourself go while he was away."

Peyton grinned while she tried to look outraged, before turning and heading for the bathroom.

Brooke sat at her computer, making faces into Peyton's web-cam, before dissolving into giggles.

By the time Peyton returned, showered and dressed, Brooke was lying on her bed looking utterly bored.

"How do you spend so much time in here? There's nothing to do!" she whined.

Peyton laughed. "C'mon, lets get going."

They left the house and began walking in the direction of school. Brooke managed to keep quiet for about three minutes, twenty two seconds and five milliseconds before mentioning Jake.

"So Jake …" Brooke began, an angelic look on her face.

Peyton glared at her. "What about Jake?"

"Oh, come on Peyt! He's back. I saw him, alive and well, and looking fine if I do say so, and he was in your bedroom at gone midnight, after you'd been AWOL for hours. As your gorgeous and perky best friend, I deserve to know the goss. So spill!" Brooke glared back at her.

"Well, he came back. We talked. It was nice," Peyton said matter-of-factly.

Brooke groaned before punching her in the arm.

"Ow!" Peyton groaned. "Okay. Well, I bumped into him. Turns out he was heading to my house anyway to see me. We walked around for a while. I was kinda in a daze about him being back so I didn't really hear most of what he said. But the gist of it was that he was sorry he didn't get in touch, he was afraid Nikki might find out somehow, especially as he didn't know we'd sorted things out and were friends again." Peyton grimaced as Brooke squealed in indignation.

"Fine, we'll deal with that later. Go on. Is he back for good?" Brooke fumed.

Peyton tried to cover her grin. "Seems like it. He spoke to his parents finally last week, and they said that Nikki hadn't come around in months, so he figured it was safe to come and visit. When I told him about our little plan, he decided that Nikki wasn't a danger anymore. He also told me that he'd fallen a little in love with you, after helping to get rid of Nikki."

Brooke grinned, her annoyance at Jake completely forgotten. "So?! Are you two a couple? Is the big tragic romance going to have a happy ending?"

Peyton shook her head, a shadow crossing her face. "I don't know. We only talked about Jenny, what he'd been doing in Savannah, gossip at school, things like that. We kinda avoided the whole really personal stuff."

Brooke stopped dead, throwing her arm out and grabbing hold of Peyton's coat and pulling her close. "P. Sawyer, you've been waiting for Jake since the moment he left. Now he's back, so it's time for Peyton to get her groove on. If you haven't talked to him before I phone you tonight and you aren't hanging off him in a sickeningly sweet way, I'm going to cause some serious damage!"

Peyton laughed. "Brooke, I don't think it's that easy. I mean, I didn't hear from him for months. I know his excuse sounds reasonable, but there's a part of me that still feels abandoned, you know?"

Brooke hugged her. "Honey, you weren't abandoned, no matter what you think. You always had Haley, and Nathan, and Lucas, and most specially, you had me. With that kind of backup, you couldn't possibly be alone, although you probably wanted to be."

"Do you know where I was when I ran into Jake?" Peyton asked. When Brooke shook her head, Peyton looked into her best friend's eyes. "I was meeting Rick."

Brooke's shoulders fell. "Why?" she whispered.

"Because it just got too hard. Everything got too hard." Peyton whispered back.

Brooke pulled Peyton in for another hug, this time holding on tight.

After a few minutes, Peyton had composed herself enough to say, "Brooke, you can let go now!"

Brooke kept her grip around Peyton. Tears fell down her cheeks as she shook her head. "I can't," she whispered. "I'm too afraid."

Peyton felt her eyes fill. "Brooke, I'm so sorry. It's not going to happen again, I swear it."

"You said that before," Brooke mumbled.

"I mean it this time. I wasn't thinking before, but I am now," Peyton tried to reassure her.

"Because of Jake," Brooke said sadly.

"No, not because of Jake. Because of right now. Because you're standing in the middle of town hugging me, ruining your makeup because you can't stop crying. Because I thought I was alone, but I'm not. And I won't make that mistake again. I'm going to stop making stupid mistakes, from this moment on." Peyton whispered, half laughing and half crying.

Brooke finally let go. "You better, missy." She swiped at her eyes with one hand while using her other to rummage in her bag to find a mirror. After both girls had fixed their makeup, they walked arm in arm towards school, both feeling a sense of release and lightness as they giggled. Just like they used to.


	6. Like Old Times

**Two chapters in one day! This chapter is kinda short, and mostly to just bring the gang together and clear up the N/H drama. Cute (well, I think it's cute!) B/L scene near the end.**

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Lucas knocked on Nathan and Haley's front door, while checking his watch. It was too early for them to have left for school already. He waited a few minutes before knocking again. Eventually, his patience paid off as he heard some rustling from inside. After another few minutes and two more knocks, Nathan opened the door, looking somewhat worse for wear in only tracksuit bottoms.

"Hey man. Late night?" Lucas asked, grinning.

"Something like that." Nathan grabbed his sweatshirt and pulled it over his chest before stepped outside and pulling the door to.

"Everything okay?" Lucas asked more seriously.

"Kinda. Hales and I have been having some problems," Nathan leaned on the balcony and looked out across the street.

"What kind of problems? I thought you were apologising last night. Big fancy meal, candles, and so on," Lucas said.

"Yeah. Thing is, Haley was late coming home. When I asked her where she'd been, she said she was saying goodbye to Chris. Apparently he kissed her, and thought she was going to leave Tree Hill with him. Haley kinda told him where to go," Nathan smiled grimly.

Lucas let out a low whistle. "Wow."

"Yeah," Nathan turned to face Lucas. "Tell me man, what would you do?"

Lucas frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Do I believe her? I mean, she might have kissed him back. Or she might have initiated the kiss. Or they might have done more than just kiss. What the hell am I meant to think? My wife comes home to tell me that she's been kissed by another guy and she's just come from waving him goodbye," Nathan growled, anger bubbling under his tone.

Lucas leaned on the balcony in the same position Nathan had just been in. "Nate, I know you're mad, but this is Haley we're talking about. You know her. You probably know her better than I do. Look inside, deep down inside. Do you think she encouraged him at all? Do you think she kissed him, or did anything else with him?"

Nathan stood silently as the minutes ticked past. Lucas watched him think. He watched him pace up and down the balcony. He watched him bang the wall with his hand, and finally, he watched him give in.

"Wait here. I'll be out in five minutes. Hopefully with Haley," Nathan grinned. "Wish me luck, man."

"Good luck," Lucas smirked.

He waited for them, listening to Nathan's grovelling apology, listening to Haley try to stand tough but melting within minutes, apologising herself for going to see Chris, although now that Nathan was calm, she explained to him that she only went to say goodbye, and that she wouldn't ever dream of leaving her husband. Lucas stopped listening after that, and just let the world pass him by as he waited.

Soon, Haley was hugging him and saying hello, as Nathan was grinning at him, life having gone back to normal for those crazy married Scott's.

Nathan put his arm around Haley and they headed towards school.

"How the hell did I not know anything about your problems? There's so much going on in everyone's lives that I know nothing about. Have I missed anything else? You haven't had kids yet, have you? I'm not an uncle or anything?" Lucas half-joked.

Haley slapped his arm. "Are you kidding? What else didn't you know?"

"I didn't know how bad it had got at Brooke's. I didn't know her parents had sold most of her furniture and stuff. I didn't know Peyton was doing drugs either."

Nathan stopped, making the other two stop too. "What?!"

Haley winced. "I meant to tell you, but with all the other stuff … I just forgot."

"Huh." Nathan frowned. Maybe he needed to have a chat with Peyton. "Guess you weren't the only one who didn't know that."

Lucas smiled. "Yeah, that makes me feel better," he dead-panned.

They walked in silence, each thinking about Peyton and her worries.

Lucas laughed suddenly. "I totally forgot! Guess who Brooke and I found in Peyton's room last night?"

"Lucas, if this is some sort of kinky story, you can stop right there," Haley laughed.

Lucas pulled a face at her. "Jake's back."

Haley squealed, jumping up and down. "Jake? Jake's back? Oh my God!"

Nathan gave his wife a dirty look. "Someone seems a little too happy about Jake coming back."

Haley smacked his arm. "Don't be silly. Peyton must be so happy!"

Nathan and Lucas looked at each other before grinning. Haley didn't stop chattering about how what Jake coming back meant until they walked into school. They found Peyton and Brooke giggling together, and when Haley joined them, she and Brooke started squealing while Peyton tried to pretend she wasn't blushing like mad.

Lucas felt someone at his shoulder, and he found Jake standing by his side. "Hey."

"Hey. Did Brooke get her beauty sleep last night?" Jake asked, laughing.

Lucas laughed, until he realised Nathan was looking at him questioningly. "Long story."

"Sounds like one I want to hear," Nathan replied, giving Lucas a meaningful look. "Hey Jagielski."

"Nathan," Jake grinned. "I gotta get going. I've got to convince the Principal to let me back in, and not to drop me a year."

"Good luck with that!" Lucas laughed.

"Aww. It's just like old times!" Brooke giggled.

"Except I heard Nathan and Haley got married." Jake laughed. "And you and Peyton don't seem to be mortal enemies anymore. Plus you've put away your voodoo doll of Lucas." Brooke laughed as Lucas threw her a suspicious look. "And Peyton's opened up her own nightclub. And your dad has turned somewhat human? Now that I've got to see! And, lets not forget, the two of you being friends. Never thought I'd see the day."

"Huh. I guess a lot has happened since you disappeared," Brooke said, thoughtfully.

"Come on, lets get to class," Haley linked her arm through her husbands and dragged him towards the building.

"Walk you to class before I go to plead my case?" Jake asked Peyton, who nodded, smiling. She put her hand on his offered arm.

"Guess it's you and me then, Cheery," Lucas smiled gently as he held out his hand.

Brooke returned his smile as she put her hand in his. "Just like old times, Broody," Brooke said quietly.

They followed Jake and Peyton. "So, you didn't really have a voodoo doll did you?" Lucas asked, still a little suspicious.

"Sure. I sold it in the garage sale to Haley." Brooke laughed.

"Remind me to not piss her off any time soon," Lucas groaned as they walked to class.


	7. Realisation

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys are the best! Since my reviews are dwindling, I'm assuming people have lost interest, sadly :-( Much love to the few who remain!**

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Lucas spent most of the day thinking about the night before. He'd been thrown by Brooke and Felix's relationship, he'd been thrown by Peyton's recent choices and decisions, he'd been thrown by Brooke's reactions to him, and he'd been thrown by Brooke's reaction to Felix. He'd also been thrown by Haley and Nathan's fight, but they seemed to have patched things up and had rapidly fallen back into their sickeningly perfect relationship. He knew Peyton would be okay, now that Jake was back. And he'd definitely make time for her, for their friendship. He'd neglected it for too long, thinking that she needed space to deal with things, like he had, but clearly he'd been wrong.

Brooke, however, was his primary concern. Her reaction to Felix last night was interesting, to say the least. Even from his own, ever so slightly biased opinion of the guy, he could see that Felix cared about Brooke. He could also see that Felix was trying to be honest with her, yet Brooke had thrown him out, with a brutal finality that he knew he'd created within her with his betrayal of her. At first he'd thought it would be simple enough. He'd tell Brooke how he felt, explain why he'd done what he did before, and she'd fall into his arms and they'd be happily together by this morning. Seeing her with Felix had opened his naïve eyes to the truth of the situation. What he'd done to her couldn't be erased or forgotten with a few words. Brooke's pain couldn't be soothed just because he'd finally realised what he wanted, who he loved. It was going to take time and patience to regain her trust. He wanted the old Brooke back, the one who he'd fallen for in the first place. He was going to do whatever it took to regain her trust, and he was going to make her fall in love with him again. No matter what. Last night may have showed him just how badly he'd treated Brooke, but it had also given him hope. She'd told Felix that he'd changed, and he had. She'd let him hold her hand for almost the entire night, had let him look after her whilst they worried and looked for Peyton. She'd cried on his shoulder, for some unfathomable reason, after telling Felix to go. He didn't know why she'd let him, and he wasn't about to ask her why. He was just grateful that she hadn't pushed him out of her life, and that they were mending their fragile bond.

At lunch, he found her talking to some girls outside and motioned for her to join him when she'd finished. He watched her laugh and he smiled in response. Shaking his head, he laughed at his own soppiness, reminding himself that he didn't want to scare her off with his feelings. She started walking towards him, smiling sweetly.

"Hey gorgeous. What's up?" Brooke sat down, stealing half his sandwich with a grin.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy, I need that food!" Lucas said with mock outrage.

"You don't need food, you just need to lift some weights," Brooke teased.

Lucas pouted. "I didn't know you'd turned into Nathan."

Brooke laughed. "I'll buy you a protein shake later to make up for the tiny bite of sandwich that I had."

Lucas pretended to consider her offer, secretly pleased. "Hmm, I'm going to hold you to that."

Brooke nodded as she swiped the other half of his sandwich. Giggling at the shocked indignation on his face, she shrugged. "Hey, you were too slow."

"Okay, since you've stolen all my lunch, you can take me out to make up for it," Lucas grinned.

Brooke's giggled stopped. She stared at Lucas, who smiled gently back at her, before picking up her bag and rifling through it to find something to distract her. Plucking out her nail file, she attacked a nail as she thought. Last night, she'd realised that she wasn't over Lucas yet. Not by a long shot. And she'd also realised that, for some reason, she still trusted him, to some extent. A part of her realised that he was one of the good guys, despite his betrayal of her. Much like she knew Peyton was still her best friend, despite her betrayal. If she was ever going to trust a guy again, she needed to start trusting Lucas again. And that meant trusting him implicitly, with both her heart and her soul. She might not be able to ever fall in love with him like she had before, but she could start to trust in him again. He seemed determined to earn her trust again, if the last few weeks were anything to go by. He'd listened to her, he'd supported her, he'd looked after her. Things he hadn't done in a long time. Some things he hadn't really ever done for her before. Maybe that was a sign that this time, things would be different between them. Maybe this time, they could be friends, true friends. And if it was meant to be, maybe something more. But she wouldn't push things this time. She wouldn't force feelings between them, she'd take it slowly, she'd make sure there was a solid foundation between them before hoping or wishing for anything more.

And that meant no longer being afraid. "Okay," she said, looking up and smiling brightly at him. "I can stretch to a meal at Karen's," she laughed.

"I've heard they do good food there," Lucas nodded seriously.

"Really? I've heard terrible things about the place. And the owner. I heard she raised a kid out of wedlock, all by herself. The scandal!" Brooke joked.

Lucas laughed, knowing Brooke had a habit of saying the wrong thing but without malice. "I heard he's become the star attraction of the One Tree Ravens basketball team."

"Nah, I've seen him. His defence sucks," Brooke giggled, deliriously happy that they could laugh together again. "And he doesn't compare to Nathan Scott, the real star of the team. Who also has a beautiful, witty, charming wife."

"You're praising Haley? Who are you and what have you done with Brooke?" Lucas questioned.

"Tutor wife and I have an understanding," Brooke whispered wisely.

"What's this?" Haley asked, putting her tray down and sitting next to Brooke, while Nathan sat next to Lucas and stole an apple from his tray.

"Why does everyone steal my food? No wonder I'm so skinny!" Lucas whined.

"You don't need food, man. You need to hit the weight room every once in a while," Nathan pointed out.

Brooke burst out laughing while Lucas scowled. Haley and Nathan looked at each other, confused.

"Anyway, I heard my name. What were you two whispering about?" Haley asked.

"Brooke was telling me that you and she had an understanding," Lucas said while guarding his oreos from Nathan's beady stare.

Haley looked at Brooke, and they smiled. "Yeah, we do."

"She also said you were beautiful, witty and charming. I don't suppose you have a voodoo doll of her, do you?" Lucas asked, glaring at Nathan who'd swiped a cookie.

"Nah, just the one of you," Haley laughed.

"I was also telling Lucas that his defence sucked and Nathan was the star of the Ravens," Brooke giggled while smiling sweetly at Lucas, who was glaring at her with a twinkle in his eye. Haley started laughing.

"Hey, why are you laughing? I _am_ the star of the Ravens. And Lucas' defence _does_ suck," Nathan pointed out.

Haley and Brooke watched the guys argue good-naturedly over who the star of the team was. The debate was only ended by Jake's impromptu entrance and insistence that he was by far the superior basketball player, with the proof that the team had been unbeaten until he'd left. Jake then escorted both girls to History, leaving the boys a little dazed and confused.


	8. Connecting

**A lot of love to everyone who reviewed. I hope you all like this chapter. It's a bit of fluff for my B/L lovers, and I hope you all enjoy it. Don't forget to review!**

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Lucas took a deep breath before knocking on Brooke's door. He felt extremely nervous, like he was just about to go on his first date. Which, he thought, wasn't too far from the truth. He couldn't remember ever taking Brooke out on a proper date, like for an expensive meal by candlelight, or surprising her with a day out somewhere. Shaking his head, he realised that, even without his monumentally stupid mistake of betraying Brooke with her best friend, he hadn't been that great of a boyfriend to her. Brooke had always been happy just to spend time with him, whether they were fooling around in his room, or talking while he worked, or while she did a fashion parade for him before they headed out. He hadn't realised how much fun he'd had with her, or how much he'd cared about her until he'd seen the effects of his betrayal.

Knocking on the door, he prayed she still wanted to have dinner with him, even if it was just a casual dinner at his mom's café. His heart was racing as he heard footsteps padding towards the door. He hoped she was going to open the door with a huge grin on her face, happy to see him. However, what he actually saw was a tearstained Brooke, still in her dressing gown and looking miserable. He saw her surprise, and realised she must have forgotten all about their 'date'.

Frowning, he opened his arms and sighed in relief as she went unhesitatingly into his embrace. Hugging her tightly, he felt her small body rack with sobs, before she calmed down and stepped away from him, a tiny smile on her face.

"What's happened?" Lucas asked, worried.

"Felix was here earlier. I asked him to come round, so I could explain things to him. He … wasn't very happy," Brooke said quietly. "I can't really blame him, either. If I was him, I'd hate me."

"What did you say to him?" Lucas asked, hoping against hope that she'd mentioned him.

Brooke's gaze flickered towards him. "I er, I told him that I wasn't ready for a relationship."

Lucas stepped towards Brooke, watching as she nervously played with her hair. He said quietly, "Is that true?"

Brooke nodded, avoiding his gaze.

"Brooke?" Lucas asked, reaching out and using his finger to lift her chin so he could look into her eyes.

Mesmerised, she stared into his eyes, wondering how exactly he weaved such magic over her senses. Her head told her to run as far away from him because he'd caused her too much pain. Her heart told her to lean forward, grab him and kiss him senseless.

Lucas stared into her eyes, seeing the vulnerability and doubt that she couldn't hide. He wanted to kiss her, more than he'd wanted anything else in his life. He wanted to kiss away her doubts, he wanted to tell her with his kiss that she could trust him and he'd never hurt her ever again. Yet he knew he couldn't. Not yet. He leaned towards her and brushed a light kiss against her cheek.

"Do you think that in time, you might be ready?" Lucas asked softly.

Brooke couldn't speak, so she just nodded ever so slightly.

Sighing, Lucas smiled at her. She slowly smiled back, doubt still clouding her eyes.

"Come on, you and I have a date with my mother's cooking," Lucas said, heading towards her bed and sitting down. "Get dressed, get ready, and lets go."

Brooke grinned. She bounced towards her wardrobe and pulled out a dark blue dress. It was the kind of outfit she'd wear on a proper date. She cast a furtive glance at Lucas, who smiled encouragingly at her. She whirled towards the bathroom, giggling as she heard Lucas's huffed "Spoilsport!" follow her.

Minutes later, she was back, dress on, shoes on, make-up fixed and hair done. She grabbed her coat and followed him out of the door. Without even thinking, she slid her hand into his. She didn't notice that his hand was held out, waiting for hers, and he didn't notice that she no longer hesitated at putting her hand in his. It was a natural reaction for them, one they didn't consciously notice. They chatted about school on the way to Karen's, arriving to find the café mostly empty. Lucas went to the kitchen to grab some fries and a couple of burgers. Returning, he found Brooke engrossed in conversation with his mother about Peyton. Brooke was filling her in on all the recent events. Lucas put a plate down in front of Brooke, who barely noticed it, involved as she was in gossiping.

"So he's back for good! And I haven't seen Peyton so happy in ages. It's totally what she needs. Jake's always been so good for her. She just grins all day now, which is slightly disturbing, but it's much better than the brooding mess she's been recently. And I thought that since she's cheered up, I could focus all my attention on this other brooding mess and lighten him up a bit," Brooke paused, running out of breath.

Karen laughed. She arched her eyebrows as she grinned at her son, who merely rolled his eyes at his mother as he bit into his burger.

"I'm glad she's happy. She deserves something good to happen to her. And Jake is definitely one of the good ones. One of the dependable ones," Karen smiled.

"Exactly!" Brooke agreed, with a mouthful of fries. "Jake's dependable. And Peyton needs someone to depend on."

Karen nodded in agreement. She saw her son moving his head in the direction of the kitchen, and caught the hint to leave them alone. She wandered off towards another customer after saying goodbye to Brooke.

"Peyton's not the only one, you know," Lucas said, smiling.

"Not the only one what?" Brooke asked, swallowing her mouthful.

"Who needs someone to depend on," Lucas said lightly.

Brooke nodded thoughtfully. "Lucas, can we talk?"

"Of course."

"I don't know what's happening between us, but it's pretty obvious that something is. And I'm not ready for whatever it is. I want to trust you, I want to believe in you, and a part of me does. But my head keeps pulling me back," Brooke blurted.

Lucas looked down at his food, suddenly losing his appetite. "Do you think you'll always pull back?" he asked.

"I don't know," Brooke said honestly.

"Brooke, I'm so sorry about everything. I'm going to make you trust me again, I promise. I won't let you down again, ever. I know that promise probably doesn't mean much to you, but it's the truth. I finally faced up to the truth yesterday. The truth is, I still care about you. I care about you in a way that I don't feel for anyone else," Lucas finally admitted.

Brooke's eyes widened. It was pretty close to an admission of love, something she never thought she'd hear Lucas say to her again. But this time, she'd make sure it was built on something solid. She had to.

"Can you wait for me?" she asked, softly, seriously.

Lucas smiled in relief. She was telling him that there was hope. "Brooke babe, I can wait forever for you."

Brooke laughed, easing the tension that flowed between them. "That was the corniest line I've ever heard."

Lucas laughed. "Hey, I thought it was appropriate!"

Noticing that he'd pushed his plate away, and knowing that she wasn't very hungry, she suggested they went for a walk. Hand in hand, they walked across town, chatting about everything and nothing. They didn't need to talk about their relationship anymore, because neither wanted to jeopardise the tentative bonds they'd rebuilt tonight. Lucas was happy because Brooke hadn't pushed him away. She'd given him hope. Brooke was happy because Lucas had said those magical words that she dreamt about almost every night since her heart had broken.

Every now and again, their eyes would meet and Brooke would smile shyly at him. He fell a little more in love with her, seeing the rarely seen softer side to the little minx he was escorting around town. He'd noticed that Brooke was a little softer these days, and he found her all the more gorgeous for it.

Their quiet, calm night together was in for a rude awakening though, just around the corner, towards the river courts.


	9. Having Fun

**I'm sorry for the little tease about the rude awakening ... you should all know I wouldn't do that to them or you! Well, not yet anyway! Their peaceful night becomes a little less peaceful. Thank you so so so much for all the reviews, I really really appreciate them. I love you all, and please let me know how you think the story's going. Let me know if you want it to go in another direction, or if you want a different focus than the one I have. Lots of love xxx**

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They found themselves at the river court. Brooke sat on the bench while Lucas disappeared before returning with a basketball. Seeing Brooke's inquisitive look, he grinned.

"We figured that it made sense to always keep a basketball around, in case of emergencies," Lucas laughed before stepping up and shooting the ball cleanly through the hoop.

"I didn't realise there were such things as basketball emergencies," Brooke deadpanned.

Lucas gasped, feigning outrage. "How can you say such a thing? Basketball is a very serious matter."

Brooke tipped her head to one side, trying to figure out if Lucas realised how strange it was to keep a spare basketball around a court.

"Serious matter, huh? You bounce a ball around for a while then you toss it through a hoop," Brooke pointed out. "It's hardly rocket science."

"Oh yeah? It's that simple, huh? You do it then," Lucas offered the basketball to her.

Brooke grinned, full of confidence. "Fine, I will," she stepped off from the bench and sauntered towards him. Taking the ball from his hands, she walked to the three point mark, directly in front of the basket. Winking at Lucas, she blew him a kiss, before taking aim and tossing the ball towards the hoop. Lucas watched in apparent slow motion, disbelief clouding his eyes as the ball went cleanly through the basket.

Brooke giggled impishly. "See, I told you it was easy!"

Lucas' mouth hung open in shock. "How the hell did you do that?!"

Brooke winked at him, "I have my talents."

Lucas stared at her. Brooke giggled, feeling totally carefree, for the first time in a very long time. She picked up the ball and turned away from the basket. She walked towards the middle of the court, before spinning around, taking a few running steps and launched the ball. They both watched it fall through the basket, making a slight 'swoosh' before bouncing on the ground.

Lucas laughed. "Okay, seriously, what the hell? Is your father a Harlem Globetrotter or something?"

"One summer a couple of years ago, Nathan's parents were arguing or something. Anyway, his mother left for a few months, and Dan was working all the time. He knew my father, so he used to bring Nathan round in the mornings and we'd hang out all day. He wasn't really into my dolls, or putting on makeup, so he brought round a basket hoop and he'd teach me how to shoot. Eventually, I was so good that I started to beat him a couple of times," Brooke laughed.

"I can't really picture Nate teaching you to play basketball. But I bet he wasn't too happy when you beat him," Lucas laughed, picturing a sulky Nathan being outplayed by a girl. And not just any girl, but about the most feminine girl he could think of.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? He was actually really sweet. When I made my first free throw, he was happier than I was, I think! He'd probably make a really good coach. Much better than Dan, anyway." Brooke's eyes darkened as she remembered Dan's tactics, and his abuse of both his sons.

Lucas pondered over this surprising little snippet from his brother's past. He hadn't realised Nathan and Brooke had really spent any time together, but clearly they had a friendship beneath it all. Interesting.

Just then, their peace was shattered.

"Yo, Luke!"

Lucas turned around, a grin on his face as he recognised Nathan's voice.

"Hey man. We were just talking about you," Lucas smirked.

"Really? Anything good?" Nathan asked as he and Haley strolled up to the court, hand in hand.

"Actually, we were reminiscing about the summer that you and Brooke spent together," Lucas said, laughing.

Haley frowned and glared at her husband. "Excuse me?!"

Nathan laughed. "Hales, calm down. I had to spend most of one summer, a few years ago, at Brooke's because my parents were working. I taught her to play basketball. And judging by the look on Lucas' face, Brooke was just showing off some of her skills."

Brooke tried to look modest but failed. Plucking the basketball from Lucas' hands, she tossed the ball over her shoulder and grinned as she watched it go through the hoop.

"Brooke! That was … amazing! And a little disturbing," Haley laughed.

"What was disturbing?" Peyton asked as she dragged Jake towards the court.

"Is this Couple Central or something?" Nathan questioned, looking around at everyone. "How come everyone's here?"

"Hey, this is my court man. I'm always here," Lucas pointed out.

"And you came over because you heard Lucas and Brooke talking and you were being nosey," Haley grinned at her husband, who looked away and pretended not to hear her, whistling innocently.

"And Peyton was trying to find Brooke to tell her something," Jake said, bemused.

Peyton winked at Brooke, who knew exactly what Peyton wanted to tell her, judging by the grin on her face and her hand firmly clasped in Jake's. Looked like her threat worked. She grinned at Peyton who grinned back.

"Let's see. We've got 6 people, a basketball court and a basketball. Seems to me there's only one thing to do with all that," Jake grinned.

"Girls against boys?" Nathan asked hopefully.

"No chance, buster! You're on my team," Haley grinned as Nathan groaned.

"But Hales, I love you but you stink at basketball," Nathan moaned.

Haley laughed. "Fine! I'll take Lucas & Jake instead."

Lucas and Jake looked at each other and shook their heads, while the other three laughed.

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Haley laughed while trying to look pissed off.

"Course you're not babe," Nathan reassured her with a grin, before grabbing Peyton and Brooke for a huddle.

Haley grabbed Lucas and Jake to do the same. "What's the plan?"

"Brooke is pretty damn good. It'll be her and Nathan against me and Jake," Lucas said.

"What about me and Peyton?" Haley asked.

"You can just … look pretty," Lucas received a hefty punch from Haley.

"Hang on, Brooke can play? Since when?" Jake laughed.

"Trust me, I've watched her sink three free throws. One from over her shoulder," Lucas groaned.

"You take Nathan. I'll take Brooke. That's if you don't mind, that is, loverboy," Jake smirked.

Lucas threw him a look, "Just watch out, she's pretty good."

Nathan and Lucas squared off, each one trying to put the other off before Jake tipped the basketball for them. Nathan reached it first and tipped it towards Brooke, who zipped behind Jake and scored with a three pointer. Jake, Peyton and Haley looked on in shock as Lucas shook his head laughing and Nathan high-fived his partner in crime.

When the score was eventually tied at 14-14, with even Haley and Peyton scoring a point each (thanks mostly to Jake and Nathan letting them), Nathan grabbed his team and suggested underhand tactics were needed to win. The girls laughed as they heard his plan.

In the other huddle, Haley was suggesting the same thing to the boys. They didn't take much persuading, and soon the six were facing each other, all with huge grins on their faces. As Lucas threw the ball to Jake, Jake found himself being tackled by Brooke and Peyton. Falling to the floor, he laughed uncontrollably as they tickled him mercilessly. Jake dropped the ball and Nathan scooped it up but found himself face to face with Haley, who jumped up at him, forcing him to drop the ball so his wife didn't crash to the floor, and take him with her. He ended up with Haley in his arms, and she forced his head down to kiss her, taking his attention from the game. As the only player left, Lucas, who was laughing at his friends, grabbed the ball and dribbled it to the basket. Just as he was about to shoot and win the game, he felt someone jump onto his back. Hearing her telltale giggle, he laughed. She pulled back, hoping to tip him off balance, while putting her hand over his eyes so that he couldn't see. After wrestling with her for a second, Lucas fell to the ground, with Brooke on top of him. They rolled around for a second, both laughing hard, before Lucas grabbed her and put her over his shoulder while she tried to catch her breath.

Moving one hand behind himself to hold onto her, he took aim with the other hand and threw the ball through the hoop to win the game. He then used his hands to heft Brooke into his arms. She squealed as he jogged with her towards the lake. He then threatened to drop her in, to which she swore black revenge on his soul. Lucas figured he'd take a chance, and he threw her in, laughing as she spluttered, lying in cold water. By this time, Nathan and Jake had managed to control their bundles of mischief and decided to give them the same treatment. Three very cold and mad girls faced three very pleased-with-themselves guys, and a war began. The girls launched an attack on the guys, splashing them with water and dragged them into the lake with them, and by the end, when the guys finally called a timeout, the six were extremely happy, albeit wet and cold. Laughing, they all yelled "Towels!"

Jake and Peyton ran in one direction, Haley and Nathan ran in another, to get home as soon as possible. Lucas looked at Brooke.

"My house is nearer," was all she said, before he grabbed her hand and dragged her in the direction of her house.

Arriving, she threw him a towel before grabbing one for herself. She disappeared into the bathroom, returning in her bathrobe and towelling her hair dry. Luke had pulled on his jumper and was grinning at her.

"Well, that was definitely unexpected!" she laughed.

"It was fun, wasn't it? Like we were all kids, just having fun and not worrying about real life, grown up stuff," Lucas smiled.

"It's weird, isn't it, the six of us hanging out and kidding around. I mean, the six of us probably couldn't be more different. We didn't even know each other a year ago. Yet there we all were, playing basketball and having a water fight," Brooke pondered. "I think we all need more nights like tonight. Just having fun, being teenagers. I think some of us forget that we're teenagers. Like Jake, being a father? And Nathan and Haley being an old married couple. We need to have some fun to escape the drama that life's become," Brooke finished.

Lucas stared at Brooke. With her hair dripping, her face clear of makeup, her eyes shining, he realised that she'd never looked more beautiful. And she was right, they did need to have breaks from the stress of growing up. "So you had a good night?"

"It was the most fun I'd had in ages," Brooke confessed.

"The whole night? Or just the last part?" Lucas asked quietly.

Brooke smiled at him. "The whole night."

They smiled at each other. Brooke was feeling more and more comfortable with him every second she spent with him. Lucas felt that he was making progress with getting Brooke to trust him again. Both realised that they were building something solid and good between them. The moment stretched out between them. The attraction pulled at both of them, and Lucas was again tempted to just reach out and to hell with it. But he knew he couldn't. He wouldn't risk what they'd accomplished, no matter how much he wanted it. He got to his feet.

"I better be going. You know my mom, she'll be pacing until I get home," he said sheepishly.

Brooke stood at her door, looking up at him, sad that the evening was ending. "So, I guess I'll see you at school."

Lucas nodded. He turned to go, but he turned back around. "How about I come round and walk you to school?"

Brooke looked up at him, smiling cheekily. "Be here bright and early, Broody. And bring some breakfast. I'm a sucker for your mom's coffee and muffins."

Lucas laughed. "I'll see what I can do."

Brooke nodded, and started to shut the door, but something stopped her. "Lucas?" she called, softly.

He turned around, looking at her enquiringly.

She stepped towards him and pulled his head down. She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips. It lasted but a moment, yet both of them felt a little stunned. Brooke grinned. "I just wanted to say thank you. For tonight, and last night. And goodnight."

"You're welcome. Goodnight Brooke, sweet dreams," Lucas said, still a little stunned, as he turned to walk home. Touching his lips, he wondered that such a small gesture could have him feeling like he was walking on air. He hadn't been this happy in a long time.

Brooke touched her lips as she watched him walk away. She wondered how a small kiss like that could make her feel so alive, so wanted, so blissful. Sighing, she took one last look at his retreating back before closing the door.


	10. The Fall

Lucas woke up feeling better than he'd felt in a long time. The memory of Brooke's kiss had remained scorched upon his lips long after he'd left her. He couldn't remember ever sharing a kiss with Brooke that hadn't burned with passion and need, but last night they'd forgone passion and need. Their brief kiss had only held hope and sweetness. Lucas hadn't felt the need to sweep Brooke off her feet and towards the bed. He'd only wanted to put his arms around her and keep the rest of the world at bay. He'd wanted to protect her and save her from drowning in the reality of life. If anyone knew what he thought when he saw Brooke, they'd probably laugh him out of town, yet he and he alone knew how vulnerable Brooke really was. Other guys wanted to tame her, but he knew she couldn't be tamed. What she needed was the strength to be more than a projection of people's imagination.

After a quick shower, he dressed and threw his books into his bag. A quick stop at the café and he was armed with muffins and coffee to soothe the savage beast that was Brooke Davis before 8AM. Experience had taught him never to waken her without either coffee or a sweet-smelling breakfast.

Absolutely nothing could ruin today.

Knocking on Brooke's door, he heard a crash and a squeal. Grinning, he waited until she opened the door. Brooke Davis stood there, glaring at him, covered head to foot in dust. Lucas was impressed that she could stand there, looking utterly ridiculous, yet still with some dignity. Hands on hips, she was about to yell at him about something, but he saved himself by waving the muffins and coffee in front of her. Brooke's glare swiftly turned into a beaming smile as she swiped the offerings and started munching on a muffin as she turned to look around her room in despair.

"I was trying to get something from the back of my closet. Since we haven't been able to afford cleaners, my room's a little dusty," Brooke explained, embarrassed.

"You know, we had to let our cleaners go last week. Terrible service. Almost like they didn't clean anything," Lucas teased.

"Shut up," Brooke mumbled, her mouth stuffed full of blueberry muffin. She grabbed a brush and tried to beat the dust from her clothes, but as she kept getting distracted by coffee and breakfast, she didn't get very far. It took Brooke fifteen minutes to finish getting ready, most of which Lucas found far too amusing for Brooke's liking.

Locking her door, Brooke turned and slipped her hand into Lucas'. The gesture was familiar, and neither of them questioned the whys or what's of the deed.

Coming face to face with Felix effectively ruined Lucas's day.

"Well, look at that. Brooke's back with her cheating ex-boyfriend, days after breaking up with her completely faithful boyfriend," Felix said angrily.

"Felix, we're not together," Brooke said softly.

"Come on. You're holding hands. You've been inseparable since you broke it off between us. I saw you last night, you and all your buddies, playing at the court. Just like old times, right Brooke? Did you catch any longing looks between Lucas and Peyton? Because it's just a matter of time," Felix sneered.

"Let's go, Brooke," Lucas spoke gently, whilst shooting daggers at Felix.

Shaken, Brooke let Lucas lead her away from Felix. Seconds later, they heard a car squeal past them and they both felt, rather than saw, Felix's dark look in their direction.

Lucas felt Brooke pull her hand away from his grip, letting the cold air chill his previously warm hand. He silently groaned. He'd been making so much progress with Brooke's trust, and Felix had swept it all aside with his ridiculous, jealous accusations and reminders of the past.

Brooke felt the pain wash over her body and soul. She didn't have the strength to fight it right now. She was too vulnerable to struggle against the pain of the past. She'd lowered her barriers to Lucas once again, and she didn't have any protection against the hurt of Felix's cruel words.

Logically, she knew there were no such looks between Lucas and Peyton last night, hadn't been any in a long time, in fact. She knew Peyton was lost in the warmth of Jake's love, and she knew Lucas was trying to atone for his mistakes.

But her heart wasn't in sync with her head. Her head was filled with images of Lucas and Peyton together, of Lucas with Nikki, of Lucas leaving Tree Hill with Keith. She couldn't stop the memories of night after night, crying herself to sleep as she wondered what Lucas was doing, and more importantly, who he was doing it with. She was helpless to prevent the memories of Lucas with Anna, of Lucas being happy and laughing while she tried to rebuild her life.

It was all too much. She couldn't handle it anymore. Looking at Lucas, seeing him, yet not seeing him, as her eyes blurred. Hearing him call her name, she blocked it out as she fled towards school, leaving him behind.

Lucas watched her leave, and felt her take a part of him with her. He closed his eyes, only to be bombarded with memories of Brooke. Of her in his car, the first time they'd met. Talking to her all night when Peyton had been drugged. Kissing her for the first time, and feeling a desire and need he'd never felt before. Reassuring her when she'd felt insecure. Admitting that he loved her, and her confessing that she loved him.

Memories of him throwing it all away.

Lucas slammed his fist against the wall. Maybe he and Brooke just weren't meant to be. They'd had their chance, and he'd thrown it away without really understanding what he'd held in his arms. He'd caused too much damage to her heart. Nothing he could do would mend it, because the scars were too deep.

Lucas fell against the wall, slowly sliding down it until he was sitting with his head in his hands. The kindest thing he could do for Brooke was to leave her alone, as he'd tried before. But this time, he wouldn't do anything to jeopardise Brooke's healing heart. He'd been selfish, trying to gain Brooke's trust. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

Picking himself up, he walked slowly towards school, his heart breaking with every step.


	11. His Saving Grace

**I'm a bad, bad girl, and I'm very sorry for the really long time between updates. Now, if you leave lots of lovely reviews, I'm sure I'll be a lot faster with the next update ;-) I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's mostly Lucas, the poor boy!**

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Lucas managed to get through the day without seeing Brooke. Luckily he hadn't had any classes with her today, and he'd gone to the café for lunch. Not only had he managed to avoid Brooke, but he'd managed to avoid almost everyone all day. Except Peyton. She'd been in most of his classes, and more than once he'd felt her concerned gaze on him, but he'd ignored her worried glances and he'd left before she could catch up with him.

Sighing, he dropped his bag on the floor and collapsed on top of his bed. Trying to block the image of a tear-stained Brooke staring at him in horror and heart-wrenching desolation was wearing him out, both emotionally and physically. It was there, taunting him every time he closed his eyes and it made his breath catch with the pain it caused him to see her like that, and to know he was the cause of it all.

Once upon a time, he'd thought he could make it all go away. He'd be able to gain Brooke's trust, make her forget all about their past and create something more beautiful, something stronger, and something lasting.

He couldn't believe his own arrogance.

He'd wrecked something wonderful, something amazing, and he had no power to resurrect anything from the ashes. Only Brooke could decide that. She had to be the one to forgive him, absolutely and entirely. He wasn't even sure he was worth her forgiveness. All he knew was that he and Brooke could be amazing together, and he'd worship and love her like no one else could. He knew her, probably better than anyone else could. He knew her faults, and he loved her all the deeper because of them. She had the most beautiful heart, and that was more important to him than anything else. He'd seen so many people with ugly hearts, selfish hearts and hearts he couldn't heal, no matter how hard he'd tried to. Brooke's heart was too precious for him to risk yet again.

His phone rang for the fourth time since he'd walked in the door. Picking it up, he saw that he'd missed calls from Peyton, Jake, Nathan and Anna. The grapevine sure was working overtime today. Switching the phone off, he reached into his bag and pulled out his copy of Steinbeck's 'The Winter of Discontent'. Thumbing through the pages, he thought back to the moment he and Brooke had made a deal. She'd read a book, he'd gotten a tattoo. And neither of their lives had been the same since the moment she'd decided to call him instead of Nathan or someone else to help Peyton. That night he'd first seen into her heart, and he'd been intoxicated ever since.

Brooke's photograph fluttered from the book's pages onto the bed. Lucas picked it up, his eyes lighting up when he saw Brooke's infectious grin, her eyes shining, and her expression welcoming. He'd put the picture there a long time ago, when he'd said goodbye to her in the cruellest possible way. He'd thought that she'd never look at him in that way again and yet she had. But life was just a series of vicious circles, and he was right back where he started.

Lucas hadn't noticed that someone had walked into his bedroom. He was completely unaware of their presence, until he heard a soft sigh. Startled, he looked up to see Haley standing next to him, looking at him with an expression somewhere between pity and despair.

"Luke, what's going on?" Haley asked softly as she perched herself next to him. She gently took the photograph from him and saw Brooke smiling back at her.

"I don't know how to take it all away, Hales. I can't make her forget what I did," Lucas said sadly.

"Maybe you're not supposed to make her forget. You can't forget the kind of pain Brooke felt. What you're meant to do is make her trust you again. Then you can ask for forgiveness," Haley pointed out.

"I've been trying, Hales, trust me, I've been trying. I thought we were really making progress recently."

"I thought you had too. Last night you two looked like a couple. And for the first time, I thought you two really looked completely happy," Haley admitted.

"Well, this morning I went to pick Brooke up to walk to school, and Felix appeared, asking if she had gone back to her cheating ex-boyfriend, and he said something about it only being a matter of time until Peyton and I …" Lucas broke off, disgust colouring his voice. "Anyway, Brooke looked at me, and she was in so much pain, Hales … then she ran off."

Haley put her hand over Lucas'. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too. I can't believe I thought I could make her trust me again. One comment from Felix and it all came back. There's no hope for me and Brooke. I've just got to let her go so she can fall in love with a great guy who won't cheat on her or take her for granted," Lucas sighed.

"She's already in love with a great guy, Lucas," came Haley's quiet reply.

Lucas shook his head. "No she's not. Not anymore."

"Then how come I've spent most of the day being Brooke's shoulder to cry on?" Haley asked.

Lucas' head snapped up. "Is she okay?"

Haley smiled. "She's better. Lucas, I can't promise that she'll ever get over you and Peyton and what you both did to her. What I can tell you is that she cares about you more deeply than she's probably cared about anyone else, and that she wants to trust you. She's got to decide for herself whether you two can make it or not."

Lucas had to ask. "What do you think she'll decide?"

"You know me, Luke. I'm the eternal optimist. Me and Brooke, we've not always been the best of friends. But the last few months, I've seen a side to her that I didn't know existed. Surprisingly, I was the last to see it. I honestly couldn't understand what you saw in her. Or why her and Peyton were best friends. Or why Nathan will defend her honour to the death. But I've seen how great she is, when you strip away the bitchy comments, and the guard she puts up. Being with you helped her, Lucas. She's not the same girl she was when she told me Nathan had been laughing at me when we first started together. She's a good person, Luke. You helped her become that person. Have faith that she'll turn to you again," Haley leaned her head on Lucas's shoulder.

"Thanks, Hales," Lucas put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed.

They stayed like that for a while. Lucas thanked God that he had Haley, and would always have her, even if they lived a million miles from each other.

"Hold on a minute, what did you mean about Nathan defending Brooke's honour to the death?" Lucas asked, having taken a while to digest everything Haley said.

Haley lifted her head up and covered her mouth as she giggled. "I told him what Felix had said to Brooke at lunch, because I'd spent most of the morning in Brooke's room, talking to her. He got this funny look in his eyes and he marching straight over to Felix. God, Luke, it was so funny! He pinned Felix up against the wall, and he couldn't move. Nathan said, very politely and very firmly, that if he ever went near Brooke again, he'd break his legs."

Lucas tried to stop the smirk forming. "Haley! I thought you didn't like Nathan doing that kind of thing anymore."

"Well, I think just this once it was okay. Besides, it was so funny, you should have been there!" Haley giggled loudly.

"You've turned Nathan into a bit of a hero, Hales," Lucas teased.

"Hey, it was Brooke's honour he was defending, not mine!" Haley laughed.

"I should have been the one to do it," Lucas said.

"I think you and Felix should stay as far apart as possible. Nathan's just about cool-headed enough about it to beat Felix's ass, whereas you're too hot-headed about it all," Haley argued.

"Maybe," was Lucas's reply.

Haley patted his hand before getting up and heading towards the door. Lucas sat back and rested his head against the wall, closing his eyes to shut out the world.

"Lucas, just one thing, do you love her? I mean, really love her?" Haley asked, her hand resting on the doorknob.

Lucas sighed. "Hales, every day I live in some kind of hell for what I did to Brooke. I want to see her smile, to hear her laugh; to watch her put her foot in her mouth, and laugh at her attempts to get it back out again. I want her to be happy again, and I want her to be the old Brooke, who trusted everyone, who welcomed everyone into her life with wide arms, who dropped everything, no questions asked, for any of her friends. I don't want her to hurt anymore, I don't want her to be distrustful, to question people's motives, to tread warily so as not to get hurt. Yes, I love her. Yes, I really love her."

The room fell silent.

"Lucas?"

Lucas's eyes opened in shock as he realised Haley had left the room, and Brooke was standing in front of him, tears running down her cheeks.


	12. Finally

**I'm so lame with updating! Huge apologies to anyone who's still reading this, if anyone is! I love all the reviews, everyone's so kind! Keep them coming ;-)**

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Silence stretched between them. The air was thick with tension. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, afraid that if he did, she'd disappear. The fear that she was merely a figment of his imagination paralyzed him, and he couldn't bear to lose the image of her standing in his bedroom with tearstained cheeks and bright eyes and watch any hope he had for them fade with her.

Brooke couldn't move. She was frozen with the fear of taking the next step. Images of Lucas and Peyton together flashed through her mind, but she was fighting with all her strength to stop them. Every time she saw them kissing through Lucas's computer, she thought about the kiss they shared after their impromptu game of basketball. Every time she thought about Lucas breaking her heart, she thought about Lucas holding her after her break up with Felix. Her heart told her to forget everything, run towards Lucas and never let him go. Her head told her to turn around and run as far and as fast as she could in the other direction.

Brooke rarely let her head rule her heart. Slowly, the painful images faded, to be replaced by cherished memories of Lucas' arms around her, of him taking her hand, of him kissing her. His words drifted over her, washing the pain of the past away with each sweet word …

"… _the old Brooke, who trusted everyone, who welcomed everyone into her life with wide arms, who dropped everything, no questions asked, for any of her friends…"_

Fresh tears rolled down Brooke's face. Until now, everything that had happened between her and Lucas had seemed slightly surreal. Until this moment, Brooke hadn't really wanted to delve too deeply into how or why Lucas' feelings had changed. Until this moment, Brooke hadn't wanted to think about whether she trusted Lucas, or whether she was just blindly walking where she'd walked once before. With those few words, Lucas had made everything so clear for her. She didn't just want to trust him, she did trust him. She didn't need to wonder about his feelings for her, or why they'd changed. She didn't need to think about whether this thing between them was real this time.

She knew.

"… _I want to see her smile, to hear her laugh; to watch her put her foot in her mouth, and laugh at her attempts to get it back out again … "_

Brooke smiled slightly. Relief seeped into her soul as she realised that she'd needed to hear Lucas being honest about her. He knew her, he knew she wasn't perfect, and that was all she wanted. She needed to know that there weren't any secrets between them, that neither of them were on an impossibly high pedestal that would only lead to a fall from grace.

"…_Yes, I love her. Yes, I really love her…"_

Magical words. Magical words that she thought she'd never hear again from Lucas. Magical words that warmed her soul, lighting the dark areas that she'd feared were lost forever. Magical words that pushed away all the doubts that lingered and left only hope and dreams.

She was tired of being alone. Tired of hurting. She was tired of being someone else. She wanted to be herself again, to laugh and flirt and run head first into situations that she had to wriggle out of later.

She lifted her head and focused on Lucas. He'd been watching her silently since she'd made her presence known. She tried to smile but her lips wobbled. Blinking back tears, she stepped forward, slowly and unsteadily. She stopped, suddenly and inexplicably afraid.

"Lucas?" Brooke whispered tremulously. "Lucas, I can't do this by myself."

Lucas snapped out of his trance and jumped up from the bed. A few steps was all it took before Lucas reached Brooke and swept her into his arms.

Half crying, half laughing, Brooke wrapped her arms around Lucas and held on tight. Lucas wrapped one arm around her tiny waist, and buried his other hand in her hair, holding her as close to him as possible.

He didn't know what he'd done to deserve her forgiveness, but the way she moulded her body to his told him that he had it. He made a silent promise to himself and her that he would never take her for granted, or ever hurt her again.

They stayed wrapped in each others arms for an age, just letting the emotions flow over them, until eventually, Brooke began to detach herself from Lucas's arms long enough to sit on his bed and allow him to wrap himself around her once more.

"Brooke?" Lucas finally spoke.

Brooke moved slightly to let him know she was listening.

"I don't know what I've done to deserve this, but thank you."

The simplicity of his words brought a beaming smile to Brooke's face. Turning to face him, a look of adoration passed between them.

"Lucas, we need to put the past where it belongs. What I heard you say earlier, I realised that you couldn't have said anything more perfect. When I heard you talking, I knew that you knew the real me, not the me that most people see. I knew you saw me for who I really am, and that's all I ever wanted. You didn't see the real me before, and I didn't see the real you. Right now, this second, this is the real us. This is where we begin," Brooke smiled.

Lucas briefly tightened his arms around her. "So this is the beginning?" he asked with a smile in his voice.

Brooke nodded, smiling.

"In that case …" Lucas climbed off the bed and gently pulled Brooke up to stand in front of him. He lifted her arms around his neck and wrapped his arms around her waist. Smiling, he slowly lowered his head. Brooke grinned and rose up on her tiptoes.

Meeting in the middle, their lips touched and lit a fire. The familiar passion that had always sparked from their contact flared up, but neither let the spark burn too brightly. A sweetness that their kisses had only hinted at before escalated between them, and left them both breathless and slightly dazed. Lucas wrapped Brooke in his embrace once more and kissed the top of her head, happier than he thought he'd ever be again.


End file.
